Project Summary
WRI 2025 and Beyond
In my role at Wheel Rail Seminars, I am dedicated to providing continuous improvements and support as WRI splits from one conference into two. For years, the conference has included speakers and attendees from both the heavy haul and rail transit segments of the industry. Recently, the company has announced the locations for what will now be known as WRI 2025 HH and WRI 2025 RT, with the Heavy Haul conference in Kansas City in June and the Rail Transit conference in Seattle in the fall.
Annual Event Resets
Building WRI 2024 established a platform and process utilizing Jamstack and Git for version control, creating a codebase set up for smooth replication year after year. This process includes setting up a new event in Cvent, where we're able to clone the event configuration and tweak the registration information (e.g., pricing and description adjustments) each year. On the website proper, we update time-sensitive content, including location, hero images, and dates. The speakers will be added later in the year, but you can see what we have on the newly cloned sites here:
Archive Management
The WRI 2024 Jamstack redesign not only serves as our template in a Git repository and live on Netlify, but it will now serve as an archive. Each year, we wrap up the event by adding the presentations to the Bios & Abstracts section that attendees can access year after year.
Please note that WRI 2028 Honolulu is not a real event. It's just a dream location, so I made the graphic for my client as a bit of a joke, but who knows? Anything is possible.
Jamstack Maintenance
No site lasts forever, and some routine updates are necessary for the upkeep of any digital platform. I manage these updates, ensuring the website's continued functionality and security, but they are somewhat minimal compared to many legacy website setups. This is one of the beautiful things about working with services such as Storyblok and Cvent - they manage their own systems for us.
Continuous Improvement
The WRS/WRI team is already working on future improvements. This summer, we're adding image galleries, testimonials, and announcements to the WRI 2025 websites. Jamstack and Git Version Control make it easy for us to try new features using component-based architecture. Stay tuned for more.
Gravital Digital's Services
Thanks for reading through the case study! I do business as Gravital Digital. I primarily produce websites, but I also assist with social media marketing and digital marketing analytics. I'm also working on an application for Midjourney AI. If you're interested, you can read more about it at my Key Prompt Ninja website.
Connecting with me
You can read more about me on my website at sparker888.com, follow me on Twitter/X, and connect with me on LinkedIn. I'd love to hear from you and I'm happy to answer any questions about this project.
